Hopeful about the future of politics because of committed politicians: Aroon Purie

"If we ever needed a dire warning of how quickly the best of times can degenerate into a nightmare, we only have to look at what has happened in recent months," said Aroon Purie, chairman and editor-in-chief of India Today Group, as he inaugurated the 10th State of the States Conclave on November 1, 2012.

India Today Group Chairman & Editor-in-Chief Aroon Purie welcomes the gathering at India Today 10th State of the States Conclave.Speaking about the tremendous growth India has seen in the last 10 years, he said, "The year 2003-when the State of the States report was first launched-was a crucial turning point for the economy as growth almost doubled from 2002-03 to 2003-04. However, the last 18 months have been difficult all round for the country. "Instead of reform and growth, public discourse has centered on corruption and policy paralysis," he said.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.He noted that the people of India were demanding good governance, a fact reflected in the widespread public sympathy with the movements led by Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal. "It isn't simply because people are fed up with corruption. It is equally because too many politicians have abandoned even the pretence of good governance," he said.

Union Minister for Agriculture Sharad Pawar speaks at the India Today 10th State of the States Conclave 2012. Nonetheless, he was optimistic that India's growth would not slide further and an important reason behind this expectation was the stellar performance of several state governments. "Fortunately, there are still many politicians who remain committed to meeting the expectations of their constituents," he said. "They are the reason why some of us are still very hopeful about the future of politics of India."

From Left: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, India Today Group Chairman & Editor-in-Chief Aroon Purie and Union Minister for Agriculture Sharad Pawar at the the 10th State of the States Conclave 2012. As this is the 10th year of the State of the States awards, he announced two special awards to the two states which have shown maximum overall improvement over the last decade.